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French leader's son splits with dad's anointed candidate

February 11, 2008

NEUILLY-SUR-SEINE, France — President Nicolas Sarkozy's home base was in political disarray a month before municipal elections, with his son Jean, 21, breaking ranks Sunday with David Martinon, the president's favored candidate.

The race in this Paris suburb, where Sarkozy served as mayor, has shaped up as a test for the beleaguered president. The elections in some 36,000 communities are the first national vote since Sarkozy was elected president.

Jean Sarkozy, who had been campaigning for Martinon, announced he was breaking ranks with Martinon, who has faced criticism because he only recently moved to the suburb.